The FDA has given vaccine-makers the green light to develop omicron-specific Covid vaccines. Here’s what you should know about those upcoming shots.
The shots didn't achieve quite the same results against BA.4 and BA.5, but still generally performed well. The FDA's hope is that updated boosters will more effectively combat those newer subvariants by the fall., and the Biden administration already has an agreement with Pfizer to purchase 105 million doses of whichever booster formulation ultimately gets approved, the U.S.
"If there's sufficient vaccine available, then that may not be necessary," he adds."It's really hard to predict, because this all comes down to manufacturing schedules at this point." Once omicron-specific vaccines are approved for general use, it'll be much easier for vaccine-makers to create new versions of their booster shots each year for the latest circulating Covid strains. And while protection against infection typically wanes four months after receiving a booster shot, according to the CDC's, vaccinated individuals have strong protection from hospitalization and death for much longer.